I wanna be a cowboy, baby!

My little fashionista - on the deck last weekend:  

And this face… am I in trouble or what?

This girl is so fun to photograph. Her eyes are so expressive.

This weekend went by much too quickly. I slept through a lot of it – went to bed before 8pm on Friday… a headache + a long week + very little patience = exhausted me. You’d think 12+ hours of sleep would make me feel better. Well, a little.

Saturday the entire family got haircuts. The boys got their usual styles (short). The little girl got an adorable little bob above her shoulders (that’s what she wanted). Mine is shorter too. Then we ran some errands (bought a bird bath). Ribs were being slow-cooked on the grill & my sister-in-law came over with her family for dinner.

We used to see them two or three times a year – tops… now we see them almost once a week. W.E.I.R.D.

Today? Not too much. I went to Michaels and checked out Martha’s new line of scrapbooking and paper craft supplies. Nice, nice. I liked it. Simple and elegant – very well done. I bought some of her textured letter stickers.

I came home and hung out with Mack. The boys were watching Indiana Jones’ movies in the living room. Once they were done, we kicked them out and watched High School Musical. I can see why so many people like it so much. It’s cute. Once Mackie got into it I think she liked it.

That’s pretty much been my weekend. I did do some scrapping.

And now I’m sitting here trying to get the gray out of my hair enjoying some quiet before I take a shower and then get some beauty sleep.

(apparently all the sleep I got over the weekend didn’t make a dent… )

So… what’s new with you?

Thanks for your comments about The Big Red Chicken. Isn’t it so fun? What I forgot to mention is that I didn’t actually go inside. I drove about 20 minutes to get there, parked, took a few photos, and then drove home. Ha! I just needed to SEE it – that’s all! It made me happy.  

I scrapped this weekend. Oh yes. I got the new kit from Serendipity Kits and it totally rocks. It made scrapping SO easy. (except when I can’t make up my mind about a freakin’ title) But – I did it & you can see them here. (if you want to – I’m not forcing you or anything… it’s simply a suggestion)

I also bought Mackie cute retro shorts and a straw cowboy hat. I mean, what goes better with retro shorts than a cowboy hat? And of course, my little girl had to put everything on at the same time… with her pink cowboy boots. Classic. Yes, I took pictures.

Mom is having surgery tomorrow. They’re closing the wound. It’s been open since the last surgery to remove more of her leg. They wanted to make sure it’s healing properly. She’s been in a lot of pain – I can just imagine – and I think this will help ease it a bit.

Work has been good. My boss has been in a meeting for the past couple of days, so I’ve had time to catch up on some other stuff. It’s been very productive.

And, well… that’s it. For now.

I found it.

Who knew just how happy a big giant red mechanical chicken would make me!?

It’s awesome. (I smiled and clapped my hands when I saw it.) It’s yet another reason why I really enjoy living in Atlanta.

I raked and he sucked…

…leaves that is.

Yesterday was “Yard Work Day.” I’ve never had to do yard work because, well, I’ve never had a yard. Of course, I go from *no yard* to a ginormous-yard-filled-with-leaves-that-have-been-falling-for-years-without-anyone- ever-raking-them-ever.

So I raked. A lot. I have blisters on my hands (ouch) and my back and shoulders and arms are really sore. (similar to my cardio-strength class way back when) Ouch.

I don’t think anyone has raked this yard in years. I’m sure that I destroyed eco-systems and communities of bugs and other animals who had probably been living under those leaves for a long time. I was also very afraid that I’d find a live animal… or worse, a dead one.

At one point I was also imagining the first few minutes of a Law and Order episode… you know the ones where you see an unsuspecting couple talking about all the leaves they have to rake this year and then one of them comes across a dead body… the woman screams and the guy reaches for his cell phone to call 9-1-1.

It didn’t happen, but it could have. There were that many leaves.

He was thrilled to go to Home Depot and purchase a yard tool that sucked up the leaves and even mulched them. He was doing that for a lot longer than I raked.

Can you hear our neighbors laughing at us? I can.

Here’s what we have left to do… the side yard.

Daunting. And I don’t think it’s going to happen this weekend.

And we discovered that the reason no one raked this yard is because they probably knew what we didn’t… there wasn’t much grass under there! Anyone know how to make grass grow? I have no clue.

I haven’t mentioned the back yard (notice the wood fence) that is also covered with leaves – and a lot more trees. 

I’m thinking it might just stay covered in leaves for a while.

You know your day is going to suck when…

… you arrive at work at 7:45am and at 8:15am 20 associates from one department all walk into your office at the same time.

You might as well go home after that happens. I wish I would have.

That was yesterday. My fingers are crossed for today.

And the reason I’m aggravated right NOW.

I can’t freakin’ comment on any blogs! The one freakin’ night I take a few moments (’cause I left all my work at work today – on accident – and will now be scrambling tomorrow) to check blogs and emails and I can’t even get google or blogger or whatever-freakin-blog-controlling-higher-power to let me comment!

WTF people?!?

I even signed up for a new password and login and they were supposed to send me a confirmation email… and you know what?

THEY DIDN’T.

Fuckers.

That’s it. I’m going to bed.

Dammit. It sucked me in again.

I have vowed not to watch American Idol anymore. I have been very adamant about it & feel very strong in my decision. I’m fed up with it & feel like it’s just a waste of my time.  

I’m WEAK! So so very weak!

Last week I figured it would be interesting to see JLo on the show. The week before it was Tony Bennett. I LOVE Tony Bennett. And this week, I’m watching the country music stuff and I’m not even a fan of country music! Aarrrggh!

I won’t watch the results show. I just won’t.

Dammit. I’m serious this time.

In other news… the weekend in Florida was fine. My Mom ended up in surgery on Saturday afternoon while we were on the way down. They took more of her leg – it just wasn’t getting any circulation and ended up realllly bad. The doctor said that if they didn’t do the surgery it would kill her faster than the cancer would. They took it right up to the knee – a little above it even. We got to see her on Sunday & her spirits seemed pretty good. She got upset when we left, but held it together while we were there.

She got to see the kids & they really miss her. They don’t know about the leg yet – we haven’t told them, at her request. She kept it covered under a blanket. How do you explain that to little ones without them freaking out?

Anyway… I’ll be heading back down in a few weeks. My sister has a c-section scheduled and I want to be there to see my new little niece. The birthday boy – my little nephew who turned two – is so seriously cute. He’s such a sweet boy. I’ll post photos soon.  

I gotta go now… Idol is almost over and I’m missing it.

Dammit.

I baked. I’m a baker.

Work has been seriously kicking my ass. Big time.

The weekends seem to go by so fast – too fast. But – I must say that my days at work are going by just as fast. It’s crazy. There is not enough time to get as much done as I need to. And I will be bringing work home more than I really want to. Working at a hotel should not be this stressful. It’s a hotel for crying out loud – it’s not anything really ‘important.’ You know?

Last weekend we were in charge of dessert for Easter dinner. I decided to make a cake. (stop laughing)

I got out my handy-dandy Four Ingredient Cookbook and whipped up this snazzy culinary delight:

The best part? It actually tasted even better than it looked! No one was more shocked than me. For sure. Even those who vowed not to eat dessert couldn’t resist my delicious creation. (I freakin’ love that cookbook)

And as if I needed more to do, I decided to put together a little surprise for my sister… she’s having a baby in about four weeks and it’s the least I can do. I feel horrible when I complain to her about how crappy I feel or how stressed out I am.

She’s a charge nurse who works the overnight shift and is pregnant with her third child. She takes care of sick kids for a living. And she’s been visiting my Mom on her ‘free time.’ So… I try not to whine too much – but she does let me vent and doesn’t tell me to shut the hell up.

Anyway… here’s a tiny peek at her surprise (’cause she sometimes reads my blog):

This weekend I’ll give my sister her surprise in person. We’re going down to Florida and celebrating my nephew’s 2nd birthday… and visiting my Mom.

I’m also going to start looking for some additional hobbies… I’m just not busy enough.

“Thank God You’re Here!”

Did anyone else watch that show last night? OMG – the last skit of the first episode had me literally crying with laughter. It was so funny. I couldn’t even see the show because the tears in my eyes were blurring my vision. I love improv comedy… shows like ‘Whose Line is it Anyway’ are favorites of mine. I watch them and think, “what would I have done?” This show was especially funny.

Plus it brings me back to High School Drama class. (Yes, I did something other than marching band) I LOVED doing improv. It was scary and fun and such an adrenaline rush… but hearing people laugh at what you did (when you were trying to be funny on purpose, of course…I mean, I was in the band so I was used to getting laughed at) was such an awesome feeling.

It’s also cool to see actors and comedians put on the spot like that. I think it’s interesting to see them feeling uncomfortable and nervous about it too. It makes me respect them more – that they would put themselves in such a position. On the show last night was Richard Kind and Edie McClure… not only have they been a part of some of my favorite TV shows and movies… but currently their voices can be found on Playhouse Disney - my daughter’s favorite channel. That made it even more fun for me to watch. (Edie plays Fran the squirrel on Higgleytown Heroes and Richard is the voice of the adult on Go Baby - it’s sad that I know these things, but I do)

If you haven’t seen it, you really must seek it out! It was on twice last night – I have the last one recorded if you want to come over and watch it. Otherwise, it’s on at 9pm on Monday nights – NBC.

Easter Basket

Happy Easter! The kids had a good (albeit, early) Easter morning. They were excited to see what the Easter Bunny left them & had a fun time finding eggs.

Here’s what the Easter Bunny saw when he got to our house:

Do you see the word ‘look’ with an arrow? The little girl wanted to make sure that the Easter Bunny got the colored egg she made him. I cracked up when I saw her doing this.

On the other hand… I realized that my Mom has missed my son’s birthday, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, my daughter’s birthday, my birthday, and now Easter. How many more holidays is she going to miss because she’s in the hospital? Next weekend we’re going down to Gainesville to celebrate my nephew’s birthday… and I get to visit my Mom in the hospital. The holidays and birthdays aren’t important to me in the grand scheme of my Mom’s health… it just struck me as an interesting way to measure the amount of time she’s been so sick. I know she’s doing the same thing too & it upsets her.

Other than that, she’s doing okay, I guess. I can talk to her now – which is huge. She’s not as medicated as she was in the past & it makes me feel like I have my Mom again. I’m looking forward to seeing her next weekend.

Today we’re just hanging out in the house. It’s FREEZING outside. It’s Spring, right? Why is it 30 degrees outside? I thought I still lived in the South? We’re going to have dinner at my sister-in-law’s house tonight. That’ll be nice. Then it’s back to work tomorrow…. and from the emails I’ve seen from since I’ve been out, my Monday is going to be interesting. *sigh*

I hope everyone has a peaceful and happy Easter today!